The Rudd Government will invest $560 million in new or upgraded cancer centres in regional and rural communities across Australia.
With some cancers, patients from rural areas are up to three times more likely to die within five years of diagnosis than their urban counterparts.
Regional Cancer Centres will enable regional Australians to receive care closer to home and their community.
This initiative is central to the Government's $1.3 billion investment in improving cancer infrastructure announced in the 2009-10 Budget.
Cancer affects thousands of Australian families every year - 100,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year, and around 40,000 people die each year from various forms of this disease.
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, today led a series of announcements in new cancer and patient accommodation facilities for regional communities across the country.
At Townsville Hospital, the Prime Minister announced $67.5 million to enhance the Townsville Cancer Centre to improve access to comprehensive services for people in North Queensland.
The funding will provide three radiotherapy bunkers, two linear accelerators, a PET/CT scanner and 26 additional chemotherapy chairs. This will double the existing radiotherapy bunkers at Townsville Hospital to six, and increase the number of linear accelerators to five.
The Prime Minister also announced $2.6 million for Mt Isa Hospital, to provide a new building to house enhanced tele-oncology and chemotherapy treatment services and provide space for three new chemotherapy treatment chairs.
Other Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries will be making announcements at regional cancer facilities across Victoria, NSW and Western Australia:
* The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon is in Victoria today to announce $42 million for the Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre, $1.5 million for patient and carer accommodation in Albury-Wodonga and $9.5 million for state-wide enhancements to existing regional cancer services in Victoria, to benefit areas including Bendigo, Traralgon, and Albury-Wodonga;
* The Minister for Rural Health, Warren Snowdon is in Tamworth to announce $31.7 million for the New England and North West Regional Cancer Centre;
* The Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and the Victorian Bushfire Recovery, Bill Shorten is in Gippsland to announce $23.5 million for an extension to the cancer centre and accommodation facilities; and
* The Parliamentary Secretary for Western Australia, Gary Gray is in Bunbury to announce $23.47 million for cancer upgrades at the St John of God Hospital and $22.29 million for strengthening regional cancer services in Albany, Northam, Narrogin, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie.
Each of these projects have been assessed and approved by the independent Health and Hospitals Fund Advisory Board.
The Government will announce the remaining successful Regional Cancer Centre projects over coming weeks.
Regional Cancer Centres are major part of the Rudd Government's plan to deliver better cancer care for all Australians - irrespective of where they live.
Last year's budget included an investment of $560 million for a network of new and enhanced regional cancer centres.
This investment will fund around 20 regional cancer care projects around the country - including approximately eight new regional cancer centres, seven upgrades to existing facilities, and four patient accommodation projects.
The Government will announce the remaining successful projects in the near future.
Since coming into office, the Government has committed over $2.3 billion in cancer infrastructure, medicines, screening and research.
Today's announcement reinforces the benefit of the Federal Government stepping up to the plate and providing funding for health services across Australia.
Under the National Health and Hospitals Network, the Rudd Government would provide 60 per cent of the funding for capital upgrades for public hospitals.
The Rudd Government's plan will see health services funded nationally and run locally to deliver better health for local communities.